How many snails for a 55 gal?

[b3noodles]

Just wondering how many snails would be good for a 55 gal fowlr tank. I have 4 turbos now but my glass still is dirty. TIA everyone! Sue

 

[steve-s]

Depends on how mature the tank is and the amount of algae. For newer tanks less is more. Until the tank can sustain the animals you get, you should start out with about 1-2 per 5 gal of tank volume and then build as needed. For a 55 gal, about 10-15 would be good. A mix of different species will also help. Some prefer different areas of the tank. Cerith, nassarius, strombus, nerite and margarita to name a few.

FWIW, you will probabley still need to clean the glass weekly, it will just be much less.

Cheers
Steve

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Get some that will be busy to start. Once the tank is going you don't want to have too many.

I've got one hungry turbo, he polishes off my algae clip whenever I put some out and is still always busy. Mix up the rest. Margaritas are always losing their balance. fwiw